Monday, May 16, 2011

On Friday May 6th, over one hundred people, mostly young, poor, and angry,took to the streets in defiance of the Denver Police Department. Theyparticipated in a march, called to confront “police terror” in the DenverMetro area. Specifically, they marched to remember the deaths of MarvinBooker and Oleg Gidenko, two people murdered by area police departments inthe last year.

As the the march ended, a small firework was set off in the street. Policeused this act as a justification to chase one alleged participant down analley, where she was tackled and beaten by police. This person would laterbe identified as Amelia Nicol, a 20 year old Colorado resident. She nowfaces outlandish charges including attempted murder.

We call on all people to support Amelia as she fights these attempts atintimidation and repression, and the police's broader attack on socialmovements in Denver.

BackgroundMarvin Booker, a homeless street preacher, died at the hands of fivesheriff's deputies in the Van Cise-Simonet Detention Center in downtownDenver on July 9, 2010. He was tackled, beaten, placed into chokeholds,tazed, and kicked. He eventually succumbed to the officers' brutal attack.He was murdered for refusing to leave his shoes in the booking area of thejail.

Oleg Gidenko was shot in the head by Aurora Police Officers. Oleg was in atruck with several friends. They had been hanging out, allegedly drinkingin the truck while it was parked in a lonely industrial park in Aurora.Aurora Police Officers approached the truck, armed, supposedly becausethey suspected the occupants of breaking into cars in the area. As thepolice aimed their weapons at the truck, one officer shot Oleg in thehead. Another occupant, Yevgeniy Straystar. was also shot, but wouldsurvive. With two occupants, including the driver, shot and a passengertrying to hide on the floor of the truck as it took repeated fire frompolice officers, the truck lurched forward, bumping into one of theofficers. This action, though it took place after the firing had started,and after Oleg was dead, was used as the justification for the shooting.

Many other high profile cases of police terror have been documented in themetro area over the last year, including the beating of whole families,rape and child molestation, and mishandling of evidence. Few, if any,officers are ever punished.

On May 6th, the fourth in a series of marches was held to show directopposition to the police terror plaguing the metro area. For several hoursthe crowd snaked through downtown and the arts district. The policeresponse to this fourth march was much heavier than previous marches, andriot police flanked the march for a good portion of the route. Despite theheavy police presence and attempts at intimidation, Amelia would end upbeing the only arrest during the march.

On Thursday May 12th, news agencies across the metro area reported thatAmelia would be charged with a host of felonies and misdemeanors,including two counts of attempted murder of a police officer, criminalarson, possession and use of explosives, and inciting a riot. Policealleged she threw the firework, only now in the news reports the fireworkhad become a “molotov cocktail”, or in some news reports, an “improvisedexplosive.” The small green firework now became a dangerous implement ofattempted murder of two police officers. Amelia is now confined to a jailcell in the Denver County Jail, held on a $50,000 bond.

Just days previous, on Monday May 9th, Denver Mayor Guillermo Vidalannounced that the deputies implicated in the death of Marvin Booker wouldface no discipline for their use of force. This announcement came aftermonths of public outcry in response to a September 2010 decision byDistrict Attorney Mitch Morrissey to not file any criminal charges inresponse to Marvin's murder.

The charges now being filed against Amelia are a slap in the face to everyperson that struggles for justice. The City of Denver has made it clearthat the life of a black street preacher is worth less than the relativecomfort of several police officers that may have been scared by a smallfirework. Murderers with badges receive no criminal charges, while a youngwoman who allegedly attended a protest to hold those officers accountablenow faces over 90 years in prison.

We must rally to support Amelia! The Denver Anarchist Black Cross calls onall justice and freedom loving people to mobilize for the defense ofAmelia in the face of these atrocious criminal charges!

There are many ways to show support:

1)Attend Amelia's public hearing on Monday May 16th at 9:30 am inCourtroom 2100 of the Denver County Courthouse at 490 West Colfax indowntown Denver.2)Donate to Amelia's legal defense. Denver ABC will be accepting donationson behalf of Amelia's family and friends. You can mail donations to DenverABC, 2727 W. 27th Ave Unit D, Denver CO 80211. Checks should be madepayable to P&L Printing. A paypal account where donations can be made isavailable through the username plpress@riseup.net3)Sign up for updates on Denver ABC's twitter account. Our username isDenverABC.4)Send a letter to the Denver DA demanding that the charges against Ameliabe immediately dropped. All letters or postcards can be mailed to: DenverDA Mitch Morrissey, 201 W. Colfax Ave #801, Denver CO 80202-53285)Keep checking the Denver ABC blog at denverabc.wordpress.com for allnews, announcements, and other ways to show support for Amelia and otherpolitical prisoners.

We must clearly view these charges as an attack on our movement as awhole. Amelia's fate determines the fate of our social movements activeacross the metro area, and even the rest of this country and the world.This type of repressive act, if successful, will only work to embolden andstrengthen a police force that has openly been waging a war of brutalterror against the people of the Denver metro area. If they can put Ameliain prison for what would amount to the rest of her life for attending ademonstration, then any of us who organize for justice and againstoppression could be next.

If you have any questions, offers of support or resources, or want to getinvolved with the support work, please contact us atdenverabc@rocketmail.com

Break the Chains.info

is a news and discussion forum for supporters of political prisoners, prisoners of war, politicized social prisoners, and victims of police and state intimidation.

This blog is organized and updated autonomously of the disbanded Break the Chains Prisoner Support Network formerly based in Eugene, Oregon. While this online project shares several of the same concerns as the old Break the Chains collective, no formal organization exists behind the current web presence.

"I will never surrender my pride and dignity nor allow the system to 'cut my tongue' and I will always, without fear, speak out against these war crimes and crimes against humanity, no matter if I spend the rest of my life in a prison cage, and draw my last breath of air laying down in this steel bed surrounded by razor-wire fences and cages, and its prison policies that are designed to destroy one's humanity…."